‘Disgrace’ that Chris Hani Baragwanath neonatal unit has not been expanded
The DA’s Jack Bloom says most infant deaths at the hospital are due to premature births and infections‚ as a low birth weight baby has a weak immune system
More resources would help reduce the number of newborn deaths at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto‚ where about 1‚900 babies are delivered a month. That is the view of DA MPL Jack Bloom‚ who visited the neonatal and maternity departments of the Johannesburg hospital with MPL Dr Neil Campbell, on Wednesday. "My view is that it is a disgrace that the maternity and neonatal units at this hospital have not been renovated and expanded despite many announcements about this over many years‚" he said in a statement on Thursday. "The corridors and cubicles are dingy‚ which is not pleasant for staff and patients. Staff do their best under the circumstances. They have a good spirit and do what they can under adverse conditions. They are distressed when they get blamed for things that are out of their control." The hospital should ideally deliver no more than 1‚400 babies a month‚ he said. "These are mostly complicated cases that cannot be dealt with by a lower level hospital or clinic....
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